The Magnifying Glass
by KyraBear
Summary: Pete and Myka are set out on a case when everything changes. PeteXMyka Please R
1. Chapter 1

Pete:

"So… I have a case for you guys." Artie said after Leena had set up our coffee. "It's in France so Myka time to brush up your French."

Myka laughed and said "dites-moi comment va mon français" I looked at Artie expecting him to say something, but he just nodded. "I have no idea what you just said." I said in between sips of coffee. "Did it have anything to with how attractive you find me?" I turned to Myka and winked.

Myka looked at me like I might have been serious and then threw her head back and laughed.

Myka:

Hoping Pete wasn't lying about not understanding me I said "Je vous trouve très séduisante" as Artie walked out of the room. Pete cocked his head to the side and looked at me with his charming smile that makes me lose my breath every time he looks at me.

Artie came back in the room and handed us file folders filled with the case we need to go as Artie puts it "Snag it, Bag it and Tag it."

Pete:

As Artie handed me the file I tried to ask Myka what she had said when Artie glared at me. "Sorry Artie, I'm sure that the Artifact is waiting." And I ran upstairs to grab my coat.

Myka's room was right next to mine and I could smell the perfume, which she had put on, still in the air. The smell of lavender and vanilla, now always makes me think of Myka. I grab my coat and pull it on; I make sure I have the tessiela in my pocket. Myka would never let me forget it, if I left it at home.

Myka:

I browsed through the file Artie handed me as Pete went to get his coat. Evidence of sudden violence, affairs and divorce as well as people getting married after just meeting. Normally I would look at Artie like he was crazy but after being at the warehouse for over a couple of months anything can be a case.

Pete sure took his time getting his jacket. And I played with my hair while I went through the details of the case. It was interesting, I will give the artifact that, but it reads like either a horror or an old romance screen play. I grabbed my purse and put the file in alongside the Farnsworth and the spare tessiela. Just in case, Pete has forgotten a tessiela more than once.


	2. Chapter 2

Pete:

With the tesla in my pocket and my jacket draped around my shoulders I walked down stairs to find Myka reading the case file twirling her hair in only the way that she could make attractive. "Ready?" I asked and her head snapped up from the file with shock and a hint of fear. "Oh. God." She said, "You startled me Pete." She said and placed a hand over her heart to hear its rhythm speed up. I walked her out to the cab Artie ordered us to take and placed the few suitcases I brought in the trunk.

Myka:

We got to the airport soon enough and were through the gates with minimum expense. I kept my bag with me as carry on, and of course Pete had me stuff some cookies and junk food in there for later. On the plane Pete and I got a row to ourselves and I busied myself with reading one of my favorite Shakespeare. After the plane got to drifting altitude I felt my head nodding and my eyes drooping; I closed my eyes and took in Pete's aroma, cinnamon oil and the smell of musty books, which will always smell like home to me.

Pete:

Soon after the plane took off Myka fell asleep her head resting on the cool windows of the plane and her hair fell across her face and shoulders. I pulled her cookies out of her purse along with the file which I opened in my lap. I read Myka's foot notes and decided I might as well read the rest of the file too. I got the same findings that Myka did; a whole bunch of crazy spikes in anything emotional. I ate through all of the cookies before Myka woke up. "Hey, Mykes, how did you sleep?" Myka looked over at me and pried one eye open. "Wonderful." She said her voice laced with sarcasm. "So I assume your neck and back are just peachy?" I could tell that she was trying really hard to stay grumpy but she let out a little giggle beside herself.

Myka:

I flicked my wrist and hit Pete in the shoulder. "Ow..." he said rubbing where I hit him, "that's gunna bruise" "Shut up." I said giggling. He laughed with me and pretty soon we had the flight attendant shushing us. "Sorry" I whispered with a little shame and Pete laughed under his breath. "So did you find anything I didn't on the case?" I whispered. "No not really." He said, "They all went to the same art benefit though" "Oh…yeah…um… the Gulliver's Art Museum" I said flipping through the pages of the report. "So what do you want to do head straight there tomorrow?" "I dunno. Maybe." The flight attendant came over the intercom and announced "We are now coming into France please fasten your seat belts have a pleasant visit and thank you for choosing Delta airlines"

Pete:

We made it to the hotel after the cab ride from the airport. Myka pulled out her well worn book and read we were worn out from the long flight. I pulled our bags from the trunk and Myka checked in. Conjoined rooms 403 and 404, Myka and I got into the elevator and I saw Myka's eyes droop and her head loll around. "Myka," I whispered. "Huh." She grunted back. "Maybe we will sleep in tomorrow." "Ya, think" she said grumpily.

Myka:

We unlocked my room and dropped off the suitcases before I tossed Pete the keys. He caught them mid-air and he was gone. "Good Night Mykes" He called over his shoulder. I searched my bag for Pajamas and threw on the sweats and tank top I had pulled out. The bed was designed with beige and gold fleur-de-lis covered comforter to match the walls and the rest of the décor. I slipped under the cool covers and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Pete:

I woke up before Myka surprisingly, it was still dark outside but the city was already busy. I pulled on clean jeans and a fitted t-shirt. The carpeted floor was soft against my bare feet, and I shuffled to the couch across from the door joining my and Myka's room. Should I go in? Should I wake her? Should I wait and let her wake on her own? I decided to wait and I sat there for thirty minutes reading the comic book Myka had gotten for me at one of the gift shop from the airport. After an hour of waiting and pacing I cracked open the door. I checked the clock once before I slipped into her room. 7:04Am. "Myka..." I whispered looking at lump in the bed. "Myka." I repeated a little harsher that before. The lump that was Myka twisted and I saw her head pop out of the covers. Her face was framed with all her messy brown hair and I ignored the temptation to lie beside her on the cool bedspread.

Myka:

"Myka" I heard Pete whisper urgently. "Go away." I mumbled "Myka." Then I realized that Pete was in my room and I was wearing nothing more than my tank top and sweats. Well at least I had that much on, and hadn't just stripped down like I would have. "Pete." "Yea" "leave now." "Come on Mykes we need to Goooo." I started to get agitated. "Pete. Leave. Now. I will come out when I am ready." Pete left after a little more arguing. I showered and got ready for the day the whole time wondering how long Pete had watched me sleep and why I thought that it was adorable that he did.

Pete:

After Myka came out of her room looking stunning as always we walked out into the French day light "To the museum?" "Always," she said, "I will never pass up going to the museum."

"Then let's go do you think there will be dinosaurs?" I asked her. We maybe it to the museum and Myka's eyes lit up as she looked at the museum and reluctantly said, "We should go talk to the revolutionary expert that the victims met with." "Don't be lame… "I pleaded, "We can have a little fun while we're here." And I flashed my badge to all the guards working there and then proceeded to step over the velvet ropes.

Myka:

Pete stepped over the velvet ropes his eyes full of mischievous light, I laughed as he started to touch all the exhibits as he always would with his crazy antics. "I can never take you anywhere nice" I jokingly called out to him. "You know that you love it." I choked back my laugh at those words. Love? Pete went on touching stuff and didn't notice the abrupt end to my laughter. We were going to get kicked out soon. The security guard made his way to where Pete was sitting on a dinosaur and started pointing at the door. Sooner than I thought actually. "Pete we should just come back after closing" I whispered a bit sharply as we walked out the front door.


	3. Chapter 3

Pete:

Back at the hotel I bought a dozen cookies. I sat munching away contently when Myka opened the door to our conjoined rooms, "Pete?" "Yes" I put my cookie down and removed my feet from the table. "You um… Pete you have cookie on your face." She gestured to her own lips and I quickly wiped away the crumbs with my sleeve. She rolled her eyes at me, "Maybe we should call in to Artie."

"Why would we do that?"

"Because he told us to check in and you know how he gets." Myka said a little concerned, Artie had been acting rather strangely since McPherson had attacked Myka's Dad, Even though McPherson was out of the equation Artie still was a little too over protective.

I pulled the Farnsworth out of my pocket and threw in carelessly at Myka. "Oww." She yelped and covered her right eye with her hand. I jumped out of my seat adrenaline racing from seeing her hurt. "I'm so sorry." I said at her side. "Just," she sighed, "just stop being such a child." She picked the Farnsworth off of the floor and sat on the couch before she rang up Artie.

"Talk to me." Claudia said from the other side. "Hey, hey, hey." I called. "Hey Claud, just checking in."

"Hey Myka, we got some new info," Claudia said from the computer, she did whatever it was that she did and we heard a ping. "That's a ping" I called, proud I finally recognized the sound. "Did someone finally read the manual?" Artie called from the back room shuffling forward to take the Farnsworth from where it rested. "Well, I don't need to now do I?" I said, "I'm a firm believer in learning on the job." "Obviously." Myka said rolling her eyes.

"So we got a ping, in France," Artie picked the Farnsworth and was showing us the newest case. "We don't think it's the same artifact," "But it could be!" Claudia pitched in "Or it's something else, it turns people purple." "Do they get eaten, and have one eye?" I asked as innocently as I could muster, Myka and Claudia busted out with laughter, "No... What, no why, have you seen something like it." Artie leaned in really close so his eyebrow took up half the screen. "It's a joke, grumpy old man," Claudia said.

"Never joke with artifacts" Artie replied sharply, "Myka, what happened to you eye?"

"Nothing" she said and I looked down guiltily.

"Alright, me and Claudia will be in France to take care of the new ping in a couple of hours."

Myka:

Pete and I were headed to the museum after closing. My eye was still throbbing and hot. The cool Paris air helped cool it down though. The streets were quiet and the cobble stone road was illuminated by the soft light of the lamp posts. The wind picked up and flipped my hair around mess into my face. As we walked from the hotel to the museum, I itched to slip my hand into Pete's rougher calloused ones. I was taken back with my own desires. What the hell was I thinking? Pete was just, just a partner, a friend. This is exactly what I had said about Sam, and look out how that turned out. I sighed and shook my head trying to push away these thoughts, they couldn't occupy why head when the artifact was at stake. It was almost impossible to stop them though, with Pete so near.

"What" Pete asked when he heard my sigh.

"Nothing."

"Nothing like the nothing that you said when I hurt your eye?" he said guiltily.

"No." I said briefly, my eye throbbed at its mention as if called.

I turned the corner ahead of Pete, The museum was now in sight. I sighed again.

Pete:

Myka's face glowed in the faint light from the museum, "Myka." I started, " Shh. Pete not now.." a thump sounded through the halls of the museum and we raced to where the noise came from. We turned around the corner and found a man standing in the main hall. He was holding something in his hands and tried to hide it behind his back as Myka and I turned to face him. Myka pulled the tesila from the waist band of her pants and held it steady with his chest. "Stop right there secret service." Myka called. The tall blond man turned sharply and threw whatever it was that he held back behind him. I shot forward and slid across the hardwood floor in time to catch a magnifying glass before it hit the floor. The glass shot out of my hand before I could've had time to catch it again. "Myka!" I yelled and I saw her dive for the glass herself. I turned back to the suspect who threw it and he was gone. "Pete" Myka said, "We aren't wearing gloves."


	4. Chapter 4

Myka:

With the magnifying glass still clutched in my hand Pete and I ran out of the museum. Pee had forgotten the static bags. Hell the only thing he had remembered was the Tesila. I had kept the farnsworth in pocket however neither Artie or Claudia had answered. Pete hung back a little, so I turned to see what kept him. He had his cell phone held against his ear. I wanted to yell at him, to ask why we hadn't been wearing our gloves; But I already knew the answer; I had so focused on his rough hands and slipping my own into his that I hadn't even thought about those purple gloves.

Pete caught up with me and we soon made it to the lobby of the hotel, we made a bee line for our room and Pete opened the door and went in so I quickly followed. He rummaged through his bag while I nervously sat on the couch. Would we try to hurt each other? Would we get hurt? We hadn't really even had time to find out what it does.

"Hey, hey, hey!" he pulled out a bag and gloves and strut over like he was the king of the world, "Ah ha ha" we swiftly pulled our gloves on and shielded our eyes, we gooed the magnifying glass and ducked for cover. Nothing, not a spark. But there had been plenty when Pete touched it in the first place and later after I had. "Pete?" I asked, "What's going on?"

"I dunno Mykes, I dunno." Pete said and then he left the room without another word. I followed him out to the hall but he was nowhere in sight. I opened the door to my room and slipped in quietly. After a hot shower to relieve my aching muscles from the day's tension, I slipped on my fuzzy bathrobe and went to find a cute pair of pajamas, just in case Pete woke me up again. There lying on my bed in bright contrast to the beige behind it sat a fully bloomed red rose. I gasped, I was sure that no one could have gotten into my room. No one, but Pete. I picked up the rose and lifted it to my nose, inhaling the deep floral smell. Under the rose had been a note that read simply, in Pete's messy scrawl:

On the Balcony

I threw on a navy tank top and its creamy white cover as well as my dark jeans and padded out barefoot to the balcony where Pete waited. The balcony was alight by the glow of pillaring candles, Pete stood, with his back turned against me, looking out at the beauty of the city. "Beautiful" I said gently taking a spot next to him. "But nothing next to you." He said almost nervously, he had lost his school boy charm with the gentle way he said those words and he almost convinced me that they were true. I hadn't really ever heard that urgent gentle tone from him before, except for when I lay in that bed dying of old age, almost a year ago.

"Myka" he started cautiously but determined, " Myka, come tour Paris with me." He said almost helplessly. I thought for only moments of the consequences, of the artifact we still hadn't figured out, of what everyone would say of us leaving our assignment; Before I burst out my answer without thinking.

Pete:

With Myka's hand in mine we walked down the cobbled streets. The smells and the sights were incredible from fresh bread to wild flowers, homely shops to historical landmarks. I followed Myka, it really didn't matter where we were, just that I held her hand in mine. Myka pulled me along to a bakery; it was lit with a yellow gold light that came from a delicate chandelier. A violinist sat in the corner his violin balancing on his lap as he ate. We spotted pastries sitting in a rounded display case. She inhaled deeply through her nose and let out a little giggle. Her laugh made me smile, it wasn't the kind of laugh you would expect by looking at her, it was deeper more sincere with the edge of that inner little girl. We ordered scones, and muffins, cupcakes and cookies. My smile deepened as I heard Myka turn to the cashier and ask for the chocolate chip cookies, "Because he likes them best."

We paid and the violinist in the back, a question in his eyes. I nodded and he picked up his bow and began playing. The song was soft and luring, beautiful, and with an air of romance. I tossed a few bills in his case and nodded my thanks as I held the door open for Myka. The air had grown cold from our time inside and I saw a shiver run through Myka. The cold air stung our cheeks and I pulled off one of my classic wrestling hoodie off and put it into Myka's hand.

"No Pete I can't take it from you."

"Please, I can see your cold." She looked at me uncertain before she pulled it over her head. I gathered her hair in my hands and pulled it from the inside of the hoodie, my fingertips brushed her neck and she shivered, and I watched as goose bumps rose. We opened the bag of pastries as we walked down the cobbled road. They were marvelous just adding to the wonderful night ahead.

I took her hand back in mine and we walked through the city of Paris. The lights guiding our path, only walking where we felt we should. I felt a sense of freedom, not a single worry of Artie, Artifacts or the Warehouse at all crossed my mind since Myka had promised to tour Paris with me. With her beside me I could face the world. A thought came to mind and I shot Myka a sly grin. "So, I know where we need to go next."

"And where's that?" She asked

"The Eiffel Tower."


	5. Chapter 5

Myka:

We stood under the Eiffel tower. The feet of enormous monument wider than I expected. Pete held my hand and we walked to, as far as I could tell, the middle of the tourist crowd. Yet I felt as if we were the only ones there. "Pete,"  
"Yeah?" He responded nervously as if he was eager to impress me.," is this okay? Do you want to go to the top?" I shook my head. "Pete this is wonderful." He looked at me, with happiness and relief. I turned to face him and he took my other hand. We stood there facing each other. My hands grew sweaty with my nervousness. "Pete there is something I have to say." "Yeah Mykes what is it?" "I don't, I mean I just. Well."  
"Pete la vérité est que je crois que je suis amoureuse de toi"

He looked at me confused, my heart beat increased even though I knew he didn't really know what it was I said, I still said it, admitted it.  
"Myka" he said softly. He pulled his hands out of mine, then wrapped them around my waist. My breath caught in my throat in response to what was about to happen. Pete tightened his grip and closed the gap between us. I wrapped my arms around his neck and closed my eyes. Pete's lips met mine, and I pressed my lips against his fiercely in response. I let all the world fall away until it was just me and him. It didn't matter that we were in Paris. Just this moment expressing everything I thought I had felt for the past years was worth more than all the trips to all the places we had been.

"Pete?" "Yes Mykes" "are you sure that this, is right?" "Myka I have never been more sure of anything in my life." I smiled and he kissed me again.

Pete:

Myka stood up and the blanket fell off the couch where we had been cuddling as we watched the movie version of phantom of the opera. "Mykes?" I asked. "Popcorn." She answered simply as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Her cutesy pajama pants caught on the island of the hotel room kitchen. I jumped off the couch and caught her before she hit the ground. "God!" She said as she caught her breath. "Are you okay?" "Yeah" she replied breathlessly. The sound of the popcorn popping scared the both of us. And we jumped onto our feet, Myka walked over to the microwave and pulled out the steaming bag.  
Myka dumped the bag into a wide bowl and climbed back over into the nest of blankets we set up on the couch. I put my arm around her and her hair got in my face. We laid like that for the length of two movies. Myka fell asleep in my arms and I picked her up and carried her through the door conjoining our rooms. I tucked her under the covers and left the room.

Myka:

I woke up in my own bed. Pete must have moved me last night after I fell asleep in his arms. To be honest I wished he would have left me on that couch where he was laying by my side. I stretched out my muscles and pulled on my robe. I waited at the kitchen table and drank a cup of black tea, that I had gotten from a little store on the corner, Pete had taken me to last night.

I herd a tentative knock on the door that connected my room to Pete's. "Yeah Pete?"  
"Mykes are you decent?" I laughed. "No I'm completely-" my sentence got cut off by the sound of the Farnsworth. I sighed and dug through my bag to find it.  
"Hello?" "Why haven't you checked in?!" Artie yelled from the other end of the Farnsworth. "Artie. Artie. Breathe." I said trying to calm him down. He was on a rant about being irresponsible and so on. Pete opened the door quietly and came in behind me to watch Artie finish his huge lecture. "And you too Pete!" Pete sighed theatrically and I cut off the giggle in my throat. "Artemis. Chill." Pete said. "Haven't you heard of fun?" "Fun was invented after the dinosaurs." Claudia called. We all laughed.

"Fun. You want to talk about fun! Fun. Yeah sure fun. After an innocent man was shot last night in a fight that has artifact written all over it! Yeah let's talk about fun." Artie grumbled a couple last things. I was speechless. "But Artie? We have the artifact, well. Sort of." Artie snapped his head up in attention to that proclamation.

"What do you mean?! Sort of!" He growled. Pete took this one. " Well we followed the suspect and he threw this and we um... caught it and there was a lot of the sparky-sparky reactions. But then we took it to the hotel to goo it. And nothing. Not even a flash." "It was definitely a sparkle and a boom. When we touched it though." He continued. " and nothing? Not a single spark when you neutralized it?"

Pete shook his head. "I'm on my way." and with that Artie hung up.


End file.
